Chatham voters reject funds for Oyster Pond shark barrier

Doug Fraser @dougfrasercct

Tuesday

May 14, 2019 at 9:36 PMMay 15, 2019 at 11:22 AM

$325K approved to buy portion of VFW property

CHATHAM — “No one has focused on the placard above my head and the irony in this discussion,” Town Moderator William Litchfield said, gesturing at the Monomoy Sharks banner on the gymnasium wall behind him.

Voters laughed, but then went on to reject an article asking for $100,000 for a feasibility study and construction of a shark barrier or detection system to protect what is known as the Children’s Beach on Oyster Pond where the town conducts swimming lessons in the summer.

“This is being done with an overabundance of caution,” said Selectman Jeffrey Dykens, who said the board wanted to give visitors at least one beach with protections from white sharks, especially children taking swimming lessons or using this beach.

“In my mind, it is a (shark) barrier, but we should do research. We’re in a brave new world here,” Dykens said.

But others disagreed.

“This is a pretty silly thing to be spending money on,” Seth Taylor said. He believed that it would be hard, if not impossible, for a large white shark to negotiate the river leading into the pond.

“I wouldn’t get too nervous about swimming in Oyster Pond,” he said.

Chris Ebel has been swimming at Harding Beach, near the entrance to Stage Harbor and the Oyster River, for over 35 years. He told voters it wasn’t until last year that he saw evidence of sharks with two seals he found dead near the Stage Harbor entrance. One had a large bite taken out of it.

“That was unsettling,” he said.

Elaine Gibbs said seals have been seen in Oyster Pond and the river is deep enough for a shark.

“It only takes one,” she cautioned. But the article still lost on an exceedingly close vote of 113-112.

The selectmen asked for, and voters supported, $325,000 to buy a portion of the Brown-James-Buck VFW property on George Ryder Road. The purchase of the entire 2.15-acre parcel, or the 1.15-acre portion of the lot now used for parking, must still be negotiated, but it came with a provision that the town would lease the property back to the VFW at a low cost, possibly as low as a dollar a year for 50 years with the possibility of renewal.

The post was looking for approximately $250,000 to pay for a $70,000 connection to the town’s sewer system, upgrades to air conditioning and heating, a new dance floor and other repairs. They were turned down last year by the Community Preservation Committee.

While some worried that the VFW was seeing diminished membership and viability, and that land could be better used for airport expansion or a senior center, others rose in support of the post.

Seth Taylor said the town owed veterans who had defended and sometimes died for their country.

“Here we are facing the opportunity at relatively low cost to make sure this property stays with our veterans for as long as they can continue to maintain an organization here,” he said.

Others noted the assessed value of the property was over a million dollars. While some speakers maintained that the post would continue to exist with or without a building, William Riley emphasized the many ways that building and land benefited townspeople with a venue at low or even no cost for those of limited means.

“A family member passes away, you can have a celebration of life there at no cost. Just pay the bartender. No other venue in town that provides that service,” said Riley, who said the post maintains a ballfield for Little League and softball games without charge.

“You can have a post without a building, but this post with this building has created a social history, and it would be would be a shame if the town says we don’t care about that history,” Riley said.

Right out of the gate, town meeting voters spent $7.16 million, approving another phase of their wastewater cleanup for three areas of the town.

Voters also approved $100,000 for site design, engineering and architectural services for the Eldredge Garage property which is intended for parking, with a small visitors center, a pocket park, and a transportation center.

An article asking for $575,000 for multiple dredging and beach nourishment projects on Nantucket Sound and Chatham Harbor also was supported by voters.

A proposal to create a $2.27 million capital stabilization fund did not pass muster with voters.

Voters OK'd $50,000 to evaluate the creation of a municipal dredge program, possibly in partnership with other Lower Cape towns. “Our waters are changing so dramatically in Chatham, that we find ourselves under the gun,” said Selectman Jeffrey Dykens. “Our needs are significantly changing so rapidly that the county cannot possibly keep up with our needs.” Chatham resident and Barnstable County Commissioner Ronald Bergstrom said the county has had problems with the new dredge and has raised $1.2 million for a new one. It has also hired a consultant to evaluate their program. “The future of dredging is in cooperation with 15 other towns and investing in the county dredging program that has worked for decades,” Bergstrom said. “Collective expense is much better than Chatham taking on the burden of a very expensive and technically challenging program.”

Other articles that were approved Tuesday before town meeting concluded included:

• $1 million to replace old water mains using water department revenues

• creation of new stormwater bylaws to address contamination of water sources by road and land runoff

• acquisition of 4.17 acres on the shores of Goose Pond for $400,000 for conservation and passive outdoor recreation

• bans on plastic single use beverage bottles for town departments or the sale or distribution of it on town land except for public safety and public health and on plastic straws

• a petition article to change the name of the board of selectmen to select board • $175,000 to redesign the Chatham/Harwich water interconnection to address potential problems when water supply is low, from firefighting and other low water situations • the taking of the Old Baptist Cemetery on Old Queen Anne Road • authorizing selectmen to petition the state Legislature for special legislation exempting the town from the state's prevailing wage law on capital projects less than $50,000. • a resolution to establish a commission to assess the Massachusetts state flag A petition article asking to withdraw from the Community Preservation Act failed. — Follow Doug Fraser on Twitter: @DougFraserCCT.

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